Atomizer



May 3o, 195o P, ENGSTRUM 2,509,291

ATOMIZER Filed March 18, 1947 Patented May 30, 1950 Aromznn Paul Engstrum, Washington, D. G., assigner to` AhffOFSpra, Corporation, a corporation of Dela- Waffe Application March 18, 1947, Serial No. '135,386

Thisinvention relates to atomizers. The invention; is` more particularly concerned with an atomizer headof, a diiferent and im.

proved construction over `that disclosed in my co-,pending application, Serial No. 731,458, filed February 28, 1947.

A primary object of the invention is the provision in a cylindrical sprayhead having cooperating atomizing ports disposed below the free end of the head, of a passage inthe head permitting unobstructed communication ofthe ports with the atmosphere for providing a conical-shaped spray` of relatively` uniform density.

A further, and more specific, object of the invention is theprovisionin a cylindrical spray head, of a diametricalpassage therein adjacent its outer end but. spaced .therefrom by a relatively thin outer wall, there. being cooperating atomizing ports` adjacentthe bottom of the passageand axially of the cylindrical head, the wall being providedwith a circular aperture for propulsion therethrough of a spray frornthe ports.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connec. tion with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l isa top-planview of thesprayhead.

Fig. 2 is a vertical axial section in the plane of line 2-2 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a broken side elevational view, on a reduced scale, showing the cooperating telescoping tubular members for producing the spray, the upper of such tubular members being provided with the head, with which the present invention is concerned.

The head I l) is provided with a tubular skirt I I, with which cooperates a tubular slide member l2 which is indicated only fragmentally and which forms no part of the present invention.

A liquid-supporting tank I3 is disposed coaxially of the head I and has a screw-thread connection I4 with the head. The head I0 is provided with a port or aperture I5 whose lower end communicates with the upper end of the tank I3 and whose upper end is normally closed by a plug I1 having a screw-thread connection with the head, and a sealing gasket I8 interposed between the plug and a shoulder I9 at the upper end of port I3. The removable plug I1 provides for admission of spray liquid into tank I3.

An air tube 2l extends axially of head Iil and has a screw-thread connection 22 therewith, the bore of the tube communicating with a recess 23 in the head axially thereof and the upper end of the recess communicating with the lower end .2` Claims. (Cl. 29d- 88.) i

of `a port` 241 ofsubstantially small: diameter andi whose upper endA-opensinto the bottom. of; an `air passage or opening 25Mextending diametrically" of the head closely adjacent the uppery end there,-`

,1 of, and which will be later, more specifically 23; and comprises a ball 26 yieldablyurged against' the upper end of the air tubeby meansofa coil spring 21.

A` capillary tube 28 has its upper end secured in the -head Ill and communicates with the lower end offa portZS of a diameter substantiallyequal to that of thebore in the tube.`

The lower end ofthe tube 28 is adapted to terminate slightly above the bottom of the tank A push valve assembly 33 isV removably disposed within an opening 3| `in thehead I0, with itsaxis disposed at right angles to theaxis of` the head IU. This valve generally comprises a body portion 32 having an axial bore 32a controlledby a valve 32'u operable by the push head 3 3', and suchboreV is in communication with a chamber 344 throughpports 32L and with which chamber the port29, communicates.

The valve further comprises a nozzle :35 having a port 36 whose free end is directly above the air port 24. The port 36 is selectively put into communication with the bore in the body portion upon inward movement of the head 33 which is normally urged outwardly by a spring 33a to keep the valve closed.

The spray S is formed by means of air being forced vertically upwards through port 24 which, by means of diiferential air pressure, sucks liquid out of port 38 and propels the resulting spray outward, in line with port '24, in conical form and of relatively uniform density.

The spray head I0 in accordance with the present invention is provided with an opening or passage 25 which extends diametrically through the head adjacent its upper end. The sides of the passage preferably taper toward the: ports 24, 36 from the relatively thin wall 38 at the top thereof, and such wall is provided with a relatively large aperture 33 axially of the head and whose circumferential wall is preferably beveled, as at 40, at the same angle as that of the opposite sides of the passage.

The atomizing ports '24, 36 are disposed adjacent the narrow bottom wall of the passage but are not wholly surrounded by walls, in that the opposite ends of the passage 25 are open to the atmosphere at the level of the ports with an attendant better action of the spraying nozzles.

The spray S is indicated in Fig. 3, wherein it is propelled through the aperture 39 axially of the nozzle 24.

Since the port 36 is carried by the manually operable valve 30 and it has been found most expedient to support the valve in the cylindrical head I9 diametrically thereof, the coacting ports 24 and 38 are, as a result thereof, located substantially below the upper end of the head.

With the ports thus disposed, it has been found necessary to admit atmospheric air to the ports as well as to the initially formed spray for proper operation of the device.

It has also been found, through extended experimentation, that openings or passages of any form are not sufcient if the desired conical spray is to be formed by the device. It has still further been found that opposed walls diverging outwardly from the ports were necessary in the provision of the conical spray and that air be admitted to the spray substantially all the way from the ports to the top of the head.

The passage 25 having the opposed outwardly diverging walls and the aperture 39 in the thin Wall 38, and with the circumferential wall of the aperture bevelled at the same angle as the passage walls, has been found most effective regardless of what the exact theory or explanation might be.

Thus, as seen in Fig. 3, the opposite sides oi' the spray S are substantially parallel with the passage walls, and the thin wall 38 prevents downward air currents, but the aperture 39 therein provides for expulsion of the spray. Furthermore, by providing a substantially thin wall, air is admitted laterally substantially from the ports to the top of the head. l

In the particular structure disclosed, the passage 25 admits the air while the outwardly diverging walls of the passage determine the form of the spray.

While I have disclosed my invention in accordance with a single specific embodiment thereof. such is to be considered as illustrative only, and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined in the subjoined claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. In an atomizer including a cylindrical head, an air passage extending diametrically through the head adjacent the upper end thereof, said passage being dened by opposite side walls extending through the head adjacent and symmetrical to an axial plane thereof, and spaced relatively wide top and relatively narrow bottom walls normal to said plane, said side walls converging from said top wall to said bottom wall, cooperating spray-forming ports, including an air port opening through the narrow bottom wall of the passage axially of the head, a spray liquid port opening through one of said side walls at right angles to the axis of the head and linmediately above the air port, and a spray-releasing aperture in the top of said head opening through said wide top wall and being defined by a circular wall.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said circular wall is concentric to the axis of said head and said air port and which is bevelled and tangent to said side walls.

PAUL ENGSTRUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 601,616 Gurnee Mar. 29, 1898 605,200 Kittle June 7, 1898 '1,053,292 Jones Feb. 18, 1913 1,104,017 Szocs July 21, 1914 1,105,804 Lawton Aug. 4, 1914 1,502,228 Attallah July 22, 1924 1,887,949 Schmitt Nov. 15, 1932 1,958,094 Ofeldt May 8, 1934 2,089,646 Friedrich Aug. 10, 1937 2,247,990 Dahlgren et al. July 1, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 43,160 Norway Nov. 11, 1924 623,586 France June 27, 1927 

